I always doodle little shapes on my desk pad during conference calls. One day last week I realized I had been using the wrong side of those 3x3 sticky notes for months. The side that peels off is actually the back, but I kept drawing on the fuzzy leftover side because it felt like paper. A coworker laughed when I asked why my sketches looked smudged, and she flipped one over for me. Has anyone else gone that long using office supplies the dumb way?
I used to doodle with whatever ballpoint was lying around, scratchy lines and all. Then I got into these Pilot G2 gel pens, 0.7mm tip, and my desk sketches got so much smoother and cleaner. But last Tuesday, I left one uncapped on my desk and some property manager paperwork bled all over it, now the tip is crusty and skips. Anyone else feel personally attacked when a pen dies like this mid-doodle?
Everyone in this sub always raves about fineliners and gel pens for desk sketches. I used to agree until I was stuck in a 3 hour safety meeting last Tuesday with only a cheap Bic ballpoint. I started doodling a little house and the way the ink layered with pressure made it look way more natural. Now I actually grab a ballpoint on purpose instead of reaching for my Micron pens. Anyone else find themselves liking a basic pen better than the fancy stuff?
I kept losing my quick desk doodles under piles of papers at work. Tried taping them up but they'd fall off after a day. Then I started sticking them to my monitor bezel using 3M blue tack. 12 sketches still up after 2 weeks now.
I used to spend my lunch breaks doodling elaborate landscapes on printer paper, but now I just sketch little house icons on sticky notes while listening to my manager drone on about quarterly goals. It started about 6 months ago when I grabbed a random sticky note out of frustration during a 2-hour budget review. The funny thing is, those tiny house doodles have become my favorite thing to do because they take 30 seconds and capture exactly how I feel about wanting to leave the office. Has anyone else switched from big projects to tiny desk sketches just to get through the day?
I used to just grab whatever random scrap paper or notebook margins I could find for my desk doodles. But last month I finally put down 35 bucks on a proper sketchbook with thicker paper that doesn't bleed through. It's crazy how having a dedicated space made me actually try harder on my little drawings instead of rushing through them. The pages lay flat too so I can draw across both sides without fighting the spine. Has anyone else noticed a big difference after upgrading their paper or tools?
Someone in the break room at my last cleaning job told me to always start my little desk doodles with the eyes so the face has life from the beginning. I tried it on three different quick sketches last week and every one looked weird because the proportions were off and I had to erase everything. Has anyone else gotten advice that sounded good but totally messed up your process?
I'm always making tiny sketches on sticky notes during lunch break. Problem was my shaky lines looked too wobbly. Last week I tried taping a paperclip to my pen near the tip as a guide, feels like stabilizer. It kept my hand steady and the lines came out way cleaner. Has anyone else found a weird desk tool that helps with doodle control?
I dropped $15 on a pack of these reusable whiteboard sticky notes because I thought they'd be great for sketching out ideas on my desk. They said they stick to any surface. Well, they barely stick to anything and the marker smudges if you even look at them wrong. After three days, they were all curling up and one fell behind my monitor. Total waste. Anyone else get burned by those?
I spent the entire quarterly meeting on a Zoom call doodling harbors and mountains on a sticky note after he swore it would stop my screen clicking habit, and honestly I got more done that afternoon than I have all week, so has anyone else's desk art accidentally turned into a whole project?
Was tired of smudging pencil sketches on my desk pad so I grabbed a fine tip whiteboard marker. It dries instantly and erases clean with a finger if I want to redraw. Anyone else use non-standard pens for doodling?
I was doodling a little dragon on my whiteboard to-do list when the marker cap just popped off and blue ink went everywhere. It got all over my notes, my coffee mug, and even the keyboard. Took me 20 minutes with alcohol wipes to clean it up and the board still has a faint blue ghost. Anyone else had a marker blow up on them like that?
I overheard a cashier at a gas stop in Billings telling someone that the thermal paper behind the counter makes decent doodle paper in a pinch. I grabbed a few blank rolls from my glove box and tried it at my desk during a 30-minute break. The smooth surface actually holds pen lines better than I thought, but the ink smudges if you touch it right away. Anyone else tried this with receipt paper or found a better scrap paper trick for quick sketches?
Was at my desk eating a sandwich. Bored out of my mind. Grabbed a napkin and drew a little 4 panel comic about my cat knocking over my coffee. Coworker saw it and asked for a copy. Now I keep blank napkins in my drawer. Anyone else make something quick that turned into a thing?
I was bored in a meeting at the office on Tuesday and only had a yellow sticky note and a ballpoint pen. So I thought hey why not try drawing a coffee cup with my left hand since I'm right handed. The thing came out crooked and wobbly but it actually looked kind of cool like a messy art style. Has anyone else messed around with doing doodles with their opposite hand and gotten a neat unexpected look?
I spent 20 minutes drawing a little cactus next to my tasks and then wiped it all away with one swipe of the eraser because I didn't wait 5 seconds has anyone else ruined a desk doodle by being impatient?
He mapped out who goes where and how long it takes, but he drew stick figures with little coffee cups that looked like they were dancing. I asked him about it and he said it was the only way to keep the crew from getting lost on the way to Starbucks. Anyone else ever find weird desk art that tells a whole story?
So my coworker Lou kept telling me to use a fine tip sharpie on my desk doodles instead of pens because he said the ink would never smudge under my coffee mug. I ignored him for like 3 months because I thought it was just some old guy advice that didn't matter. Last Tuesday I finally tried it on a little owl sketch I did on a scrap envelope and now I'm mad I waited so long. The sharpie stayed crisp even when I spilled water on the corner of it. Has anyone else had good luck with sharpies for desk sketches or is there a better marker I should try?
I was cleaning out my desk drawer at work yesterday and found this little sketch I did of a cat tangled in headphone wires from back in March. I remember drawing it during a boring conference call with our team in Austin. It's not great art but it reminded me that I used to doodle way more and it helped me focus. Has anyone else found an old desk doodle that brought back a random memory?
She said she just uses a cheap ballpoint and sticky notes for her desk doodles while I'm over here with like 12 different microns and washi tape, and it hit me that maybe I'm overcomplicating something that's supposed to be simple and fun, anyone else ever feel like they need to downsize their supplies?
I had this guy Steve at my old job who would see me doodling a little tree or a smiley face on a sticky note and he'd walk over and literally add stuff to it with his own pen. He drew a little hat on my sun once and said "that sun needs more personality." It was at my cubicle at the office where I worked for 3 years, and he never asked if I wanted help. Anyone else ever had someone mess with your desk art like it was fair game?
Been sketching little dragons on my to-do lists for years, but 3 months ago I swapped to a gel pen and now my lines look all wobbly and the ink smears every time I close my notebook. Anyone else notice certain pens just kill your doodle vibe?
I usually just use whatever random pen is lying around, you know, a Bic or something. But last month I was at the art supply store and saw a pack of 8 fineliner pens for $15 on clearance. They're not a fancy brand or anything, just generic ones from the discount bin. I figured why not, and honestly they've been a game changer for my daily desk doodles. The tips are super fine so I can draw tiny little cartoons in the margins of my to-do lists without bleeding through the paper. My favorite thing to doodle now is these little stick figure scenes from meetings I'm in (like the guy who talks too much, haha). Has anyone else found a random cheap pen that just clicked with how you draw?
I was at a boring training session in our conference room last Tuesday, and I wanted to doodle on a tiny sticky note but kept smudging it. Turns out if you set your hand on a spare binder or notebook edge, it lifts your wrist just enough to keep the ink clean. I tested it on three different sticky notes and it worked every time. Does anyone else have a hack for drawing on small surfaces without ruining the edges?
I kept trying to make this stupid mug perfect. Started with a simple doodle on a sticky note during a meeting. Then I redrew it like 8 times because the shadow spacing was off. Lol. Ended up spending the whole afternoon erasing and redoing this one 2 inch drawing. My desk looked like a confetti bomb went off from all the scrap paper. Has anyone else gotten stuck on the simplest thing for way too long?